Miguel's VERY UNOFFICIAL Patriots Salary Cap Information Page

DISCLAIMER:

I will NOT pretend that this information will be 100% correct. The information on this site can ONLY be as accurate as the press reports that the information comes from.

I would like to thank Pats39, Peachhead, Jim S, Chris Matthews "CJ", Ian Logue, Andrew Brecher, Jocelyn Robichaud, Naren99, Ickster, dscotts, Ralmat55, PatsFanKen, Urgent, Hurricane1, Norman Trudel, the Homers, David Tremblay, Steve Haggett and Paul Dalrymple. Each of them have in their own way provided invaluable assistance and guidance. Please note that NONE of them are responsible for errors on this page.

Please note that Paul Katcher of Time Magazine called this page "by far the weirdest site I came across while researching this guide" in his listing of Essential bookmarks for the true football fan. and that on Page 4 of the September 3, 2001 issue of Time Magazine this page is referred to as "informed analysis of the Patriots' salary-cap problems."

According to my figures the Patriots are $359,412 OVER their 2003's adjusted cap figure of 74,607,037 with 53 active players signed which is obviously WRONG. According to Adamjt13 the Pats were under their adjusted cap by $3,802 on December 26. I have the Patriots' 2003 cap figure as
$74,966,449. Why am I over?? One reason is that I presumed that every player attended eash workout session. I have no way of knowing whether or not that is actually true. It is most likely that it is not. I have also probably overstated the cap hits for a couple of players.

A call for a donation

My youngest sister is on the board of directors of a soup kitchen and food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that serves over 400 low-income and homeless families per month. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful over the past year that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to the Bread of Life soup kitchen/food pantry. Their address is

Moved Fred McCrary and Larry Centers to the 2003 "dead money" list. Added J.J. Stokes and Dedric Ward to these pages. Updated the cap figures and the documentation for Jamin Elliott, Chas Gessner, and Antowain Smith.

Added Brendai Stai and Larry Centers to these pages while removing Scott Farley.

Updated the cap figures and the documentation for Eugene Wilson. I would like to thank Steve Haggett for pointing out that ESPN.Com's salary numbers differ from those listed in Nick Cafardo's report. I was able to confirm that the former were correct on the NFLPA site.

Updated the cap figures and the documentation for Ethan Kelly, the first Patriots 2003 draft pick to sign.

Updated the cap figures and the documentation for Lawyer Milloy. Upon further research I have become convinced that Milloy's 2003 cap figure is not the $5.6 million number as it has been reported several times in the Boston Herald but even higher.

Added Mike CloudMike Cloud to these pages. I am pretty sure that Mike Cloud's salary during his four-game suspension will NOT count against the cap (See Julius Peppers and Bretson Buckner in 2002) but I do not know if he counts $450,000 against the cap NOW and the Patriots receive a $26,471 per-game credit as he misses a game or if he counts $344,118 against the cap now. $344,118 is 13 games' worth of salary. If the latter scenario is true, then Cloud's net cap hit would be zero as I suspent that he did not receive a signing bonus. For now, I am going with the first scenario. Please note that I am presuming that Cloud signed a 1-year deal that was eligible for the veteran-exemption treatment.

After reading this in the CBA:
"* Compensation to players for participation in the off-season workout programs or classroom instruction sessions of a Club at the minimum amount set forth in Article XXXV of the CBA shall be included in Team Salary on the first day of such program, calculated by multiplying: (i) the minimum amount set forth in Article XXXV, Section 3; (ii) the number of players scheduled to participate in such program at said minimum amount; (iii) the number of days per week scheduled for such program; and (iv) the number of weeks scheduled for such program. For example, without limitation upon any other example, a Club having a nine-week workout program in the 1994 League Year for sixty players to be paid at the minimum amount will include $108,000 in its Team Salary on the first day of such program ($50 per day x four workout days per week x nine weeks x sixty players). At the conclusion of a club"s off-season workout program, any such minimum amounts which are unearned and unpaid shall be subtracted from Salary and Team Salary" and this portion of AdamJT13's answer to a salary cap question - "The standard workout bonus, as specified in the CBA, was $90 per day for 2002 and $100 per day for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. But different teams have different offseason programs, so players on some teams might be able to make more than others. For example, the Patriots have a 56-day offseason program, while the Cowboys have a 40-day program. So the Pats' players can make $5,600 each, while the Cowboys' players can make $4,000 each." For non-rookie players who sign contracts in 2003, the $5,600 is included in their cap numbers and would be lowered if they fail to earn the entire amount. (Rookies who sign after the draft will not earn workout bonuses in 2003.) For players who signed before 2003, the amounts they earn will not be added to their cap numbers until after they"re paid. At the moment, these standard workout bonuses are not counting for 43 of the 49 players currently under contract. Full workout bonuses for those 43 players would total $240,800. I have decided that I should not add the standard off-season workout amount for the Patriots signed before this year ($5,600) to their cap figures until March 25th, the day that the off-season workout programs will begin.

Players no longer with the Pats or on IR, or non-football-injury reserve list. Please note that some of the players that are on IR played for the Patriots during the 2003 season so their entire amount is incorrectly listed as "dead money". I don't have the time or inclination to properly allocate the amounts.

$10,012,041
of the cap is being spent on the above type players so that the Pats' dead money percentage is 13.35%

* Ty Warren displaced a player with a salary of $389K from the Top 51 list. Eugene Wilson and Bethel Johnson displaced two players with salaries of $300K from the Top 51 list.
** Presuming that the player will either make the 53-man roster or the injured reserve list.
****The Pats will have to be under the cap by this amount on September 9th in order to have a 5-man practice squad and in order to have a 53-man roster.
*****The 750,000 figure comes from CNNSI's Pat Kirwan. In a cap-related article he wrote "that teams should keep a reserve pool of $750,000 to account for in-season replacements." Please note that as Jocelyn Robichaud pointed out in an email:
"The current cap status is calculated with the top 51 earners. On the other hand, not all of these players will make the team. Thus, as the team shrinks its roster to 53 players, it will create cap room unless it keeps all of its top earners." For example, let's say that Rick Lyle ($450,000 in salary) does not make the team and is replaced by Jarvis Green ($300,000 in salary). This would free $150,000 in cap room for the Patriots.